ABSTRACT
Elections have always had a strong propaganda element, but the 2016 elections in the U.S. were 99% propaganda and 1% discussion of the issues. Social media helped to spread that propaganda, much of which was created by the candidates or various interest groups. The 2016 elections also had the added element of Russian meddling that involved the creation and dissemination of propaganda. This chapter examines the Intelligence Community Analysis of Russian campaign meddling, testimony of U.S. Congressional hearings on social media companies regarding the meddling, and the Honest Ads Act that is designed to promote greater transparency of social media posts that can impact the electoral process.
Elections have always had a strong propaganda element, but the 2016 elections in the U.S. were 99% propaganda and 1% discussion of the issues. Social media helped to spread that propaganda, much of which was created by the candidates or various interest groups. The 2016 elections also had the added element of Russian meddling that involved the creation and dissemination of propaganda. This chapter examines the Intelligence Community Analysis of Russian campaign meddling, testimony of U.S. Congressional hearings on social media companies regarding the meddling, and the Honest Ads Act that is designed to promote greater transparency of social media posts that can impact the electoral process.
